In the meat processing industry it is desirable to be able to process meat in ways that are economical and safe and that produce a food product that is convenient and attractive for the consumer. It is also desirable to be able to control the quality of the meat produced. A number of prior art solutions have been developed to process meat in the best manner.
For working parents there is a need for convenience products. Specifically, meat products that are safe and appealing and yet that do not require extensive cooking and draining of water and grease typically associated with cooking a raw meat product. In addition many diets including the so called Atkins diet focus on meat as a major staple of the diet. For those on a diet high in meat, there is a need for more variety and convenience in the products currently available on the store shelf. There is a need for a variety of easy to prepare meat foods.
One common approach to meat processing has been to grind at least part of an animal carcass into a ground meat product that can be refrigerated or frozen then stored prior to sale to the consumer. It has also been common practice to form raw ground meat into shapes such as patties for the convenience of the end consumer. In the prior art there is a requirement for continuous cold storage, this can be a significant expense and it is common for frozen foods such as meat to be damaged in shipping due to partial thawing that can occur in shipping. Another problem with ground meat is that the grind often uses fatty meats that are high in cholesterol; there is a desire in many diets for meat that has a high percentage of lean.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,084 to Allen et al shows one prior art approach to processing and storing ground meat products. In the Allen patent, meat is ground and then raw meat is leveled and irradiated then formed into shapes and placed in cold storage. It is known in the prior art to irradiate raw meat to extend its shelf life and protect the consumer against harmful bacteria and to protect the producer against lawsuits and expensive product recalls. The process of Allen produces a ground meat product that still requires cold storage and cooking by the end consumer. Further the meat product of the Allen process is not processed in anyway to control the quality of the meat product in terms of fat content of the meat. In Allen the only control over the fat content of the final meat product is the meat chosen for the grind, this is common in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,444 to Roehrig et al discloses a process of centrifuging raw ground meat to remove fat from the meat. In this patent the meat is slightly heated to aid in removal of fat but the patent is careful not to cook the meat so that it might still be formed into shapes for use by the end consumer.
As can be seen there is a need for a process of treating ground meat that produces a meat product that is safe and economical and yet that is easy to use for the consumer and that appeals to the consumer. There is further a need for a process that allows the producer to control the moisture and fat content of the end meat product.